Fred McGinis explained

Fred McGinis
Fullname:Alfred Ernest McGinis
Birth Date:11 November 1874
Birth Place:Hobart
Death Place:Hobart
Originalteam:City (Hobart)
Height:175 cm
Weight:74 kg
Statsend:1901
Years1:1894–1896
Club1:Melbourne (VFA)
Games Goals1:45 (41)
Years2:1897–1901
Club2:Melbourne
Games Goals2:84 (36)
Careerhighlights:

1895

  • Melbourne Hall of Fame

Fred McGinis[1] (11 November 1874 – 30 March 1953) was an Australian rules footballer. He played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), and the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Family

The son of Louis McGuiness (1841-1908),[2] and Mary Ann McGuiness (1840-1911), née Toogood,[3] [4] Alfred Ernest McGuiness was born at Hobart, on 11 November 1874.[5]

Football

McGinis began his career with Melbourne at the age of nineteen, in 1894 in the VFA,[6] [7] [8] and was its leading goalkicker in 1895. In September 1895, 'Half Back' (the Age's football correspondent) declared that McGinis was "the champion of the season.[9]

A rover, he starred for Melbourne in its debut season in the VFL in 1897, and he was a premiership player with Melbourne in 1900.[10]

Vision difficulties

Vision difficulties forced him out of the game by 1902 and he returned to Tasmania.

Benefit matches

As he neared total blindness, a match was played for his benefit between combined teams from the VFA and VFL on 4 September 1902; the match, won by the VFL, raised £200. The match was the first time that the two bitter rival football competitions had ever played against each other.[11]

Death

He died in Hobart on 30 March 1953, and was cremated at the Cornelian Bay Cemetery the next day.[12]

Hall of Fame

McGinis was regarded as one of the best players of his era,[13] with some contemporaries, including Mick Grace, Jack Leith, George Cathie, and the Argus sportswriter 'Observer' naming him as the best overall.[14] [15] [16]

Although primarily a rover, he could play and succeed at any position on the ground, and was proficient at all skills: accurate kicking, high marking, speed and endurance.[17]

In all my experience I have never seen a more accomplished player – one qualified to rank on the hlghest rung of the ladder of fame among the football champions of Australia. His scintillating brilliancy on the field was unfortunately cut short at the height of his fame by failing eye-sight. (George Cathie, 1943).[18]

McGinis is the first listed inductee in the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame, his citation describing him as "Tasmania's first true football superstar".[19]

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. His family name was variously rendered as "McGinis", "McGinnis", "M‘Guiness", and "McGuiness".
  2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12687512 Deaths: McGuiness, The (Hobart) Mercury, (Monday, 7 September 1908), p.1.
  3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8819368 Marriages: M‘Guiness—Toogood, The (Hobart) Mercury, (Wednesday, 22 July 1863), p.4
  4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10112059 Deaths: McGuiness, The (Hobart) Mercury, (Friday, 25 August 1911), p.1.
  5. His registration on the Electoral Rolls over many years consistently has his name as "Alfred Ernest McGinniss".
  6. Pennings (2016), passim.
  7. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139711374 The Melbourne Football Team, The Australasian, (Saturday, 22 June 1895), p.1178.
  8. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article120278399 'Old-Timer', "Chat with Fred McGinis", The Referee, (Wednesday, 12 August 1914), p.12.
  9. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197207831 'Half Back', "The Football Season", The Age, (Monday, 23 September 1895), p. 6.
  10. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article175383302 The Melbourne Team (Premiers 1900), (Melbourne) Punch, (Thursday, 27 September 1900), p.369.
  11. News: Football. M'Ginis Benefit Match. . 17,519 . Melbourne. 5 September 1902 . 6 September 2016 . 8 . National Library of Australia.
  12. News: Family Notices . The Mercury . CLXXIII . 25,673 . Tasmania, Australia . 31 March 1953 . 17.
  13. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12661577 Tribute to a Tasmanian, The (Hobart) Mercury, (Thursday, 6 August 1908), p.8.
  14. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129935009 'Old-Timer', "The Best Footballer", The Referee, (Wednesday, 23 August 1911), p.1.
  15. [George Cathie (footballer, born 1876)|Cathie, G.J.]
  16. News: The Argus. Old football days. 2 May 1908. 18. Melbourne, VIC. Observer.
  17. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article120277751 'Old-Timer', "Old-Time Champion Footballers", The Referee, (Wednesday, 24 June 1914), p.16.
  18. [George Cathie (footballer, born 1876)|Cathie, G.J.]
  19. Web site: 1. Fred McGinis. 14 July 2016. AFL Tasmania.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Fred McGinis".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.